Our boys were denied the world record

Discussion in 'Homeschooling in the News' started by nancy sv, Jul 29, 2011.

  1. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    I am so bummed - this thing is just really getting to me.

    We spent three years cycling Alaska to Argentina. The main reason for the trip was just to be together as a family and explore the world - and it was great. But - my boys decided before we left that they wanted to break the world as the youngest to cycle the length of the Americas. We wrote to Guinness World Records, they sent us the guidelines and off we went.

    We did everything on our part. We followed their guidelines, we documented the journey. We filed just like they instructed us to. And now - they've denied the boys because they decided to change their rules while we were on the road. They changed the rules of the game halfway through. You just don't do that to kids!

    Anyway, we are appealing to Guinness World Records. This is scary stuff for me. I can climb 15,000-foot passes on my bike and battle headwinds from hell, but taking on a great big corporation like Guinness World Records scares the bejeezus outta me!

    I feel I don't really have any choice in the matter - we've always taught our kids you have to fight for what you feel is right. Always before, we were battling Mother Nature. Now we're battling something way more difficult than nature - we're battling rules. R-U-L-E-S This is crazy.

    If you would like to help us spread the word, we would be eternally grateful. Here's a post outlining some things we think will help, including a link to an online petition you can sign: http://familyonbikes.org/blog/2011/...-us-reverse-our-guinness-world-record-denial/

    Here are a bunch of blog posts from other bloggers to help get the word out: http://familyonbikes.org/blog/2011/07/posts-to-guinness-world-records/

    Thanks so much!
    Nancy
     
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  3. fortressmom

    fortressmom New Member

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    That's crazy!! Good for you for sticking to your guns though. It's one thing to preach something to our kids, but another entirely to actually live it:) Good luck!
     
  4. azhomeschooler

    azhomeschooler New Member

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    Boo! Sorry to hear that, I signed your petition.
     
  5. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    Thanks. Yeah - it's hard having to walk the talk sometimes. It would be so much easier to just crawl under a rug, shrug my shoulders and say, "Oh well. Life sucks sometimes."
     
  6. Brooke

    Brooke New Member

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    Signed. :) I don't understand why they can't acknowledge it as being grandfathered in and then include that this record is now closed and state it's policy on age requirements which came about after the fact.
     
  7. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    That's exactly what I don't get. When we asked them to grandfather the boys in they said they absolutely cannot open the category because then other parents will say, "You let them in when it was close! You can let us in too!"

    But what??? I mean - how many families out there are holding official guidelines given them by GWR and they've completed those requirements only to find their category closed? I guess I see the guy's point - if they let us in then they need to let all those other parents in the same situation in too. And how many would that be???
     
  8. Blizzard

    Blizzard Member

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    Wow, how disappointing! :X I hope you can get them to change their minds. What a rotten thing to do to your kids.....
     
  9. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Signed!!!
     
  10. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    It is a rotten thing. Totally. This just blows.
     
  11. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    Signed and posted on my facebook wall. Planning on sharing with all of my homeschool yahoo groups as well.

    Hoping that your appeal is successful and they are approved. Your boys definitely earned it. :)
     
  12. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    Thank you so much! I am keeping my fingers crossed.
     
  13. ochumgache

    ochumgache Active Member

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    Hmmm...I don't know if I'm totally understanding their position, but it sounds like they do not want to recognize the achievements of people under a certain age. I would guess that some of the negative talk about that girl who needed to be rescued in the middle of her round-the-world sail may have influenced them, but that was later than 2009. I'll sign and post it on FB. That isn't fair or right...hold them to their word.
     
  14. CrystalCA

    CrystalCA New Member

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    Signed and posted on my Facebook wall. I know someone who works for Google and he will post on his wall too !!!!
     
  15. Jo Anna

    Jo Anna Active Member

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    Now did they have you file paperwork before the trip? Or was all of it done after?
     
  16. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    That's the bizarre thing about this. We wrote and filed a proposal before we even left back in 2008. GWR sent us the guidelines and said, "If you do xyz and you document it like this and you submit all this documentation, then the record is yours."

    We cycled for a while, then I had a question so I wrote to GWR in 2009. They came back with an answer that conflicted with the guidelines they had sent me so I wrote and said, "Hey - this is what you told me before." They came back and said, "You're right. We will abide by the guidelines we sent you before you left on your journey. It will be changed for any further attempts."

    Then in 2010 I had a question and wrote to them. They never responded. Now they are telling me they changed the rules back in 2009, so this would have been a perfect time to tell us they had cancelled that record.

    I waited 6 or 8 weeks and then wrote them again with the same question. Again - no answer.

    When we finished the ride I wrote to them and said, "We're done and will be filing soon. Is there anything I need to know before I file?" No answer.

    I got all the documentation put together and wrote and said, "I've got everything ready and nearly everything is online. Can I just point you to it or do I need to print it out and send it to London?" They wrote back and said I needed to send it to London.

    And then - after all that, they came back and said the record was cancelled! They had many, many opportunities to tell us earlier - why didn't they??
     
  17. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Do you have the original response from 2009 where they said they'd go by their original ruling?
     
  18. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    Yep :) Even though they acknowledge that they said that in 2009, they are now saying they cancelled the record after that so tough beans.
     
  19. Jo Anna

    Jo Anna Active Member

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    Well in that case you have grounds to fight it. It was an agreement between both of you. I would fight it.
     
  20. nancy sv

    nancy sv New Member

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    Just got word that a DHL package for Davy and Daryl from GWR is sitting in Salt Lake City waiting for a current address. I have no idea what it is, but am hoping it's a letter of some sort!
     
  21. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Fingers crossed!!!
     

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